A Day In Balamb
by aylaa
Summary: xu and quistis go shopping in balamb, and shop by a karaoke bar afterwards, which is followed by an expression of song, and then a sudden realisation.


Final Fantasy XIII and its respective characters are copyright of Squaresoft.

            The early dawn light streamed in through the window, with the song of the early bird as its fanfare. The morning air was crisp and cool, although promising to be somewhat warmer in the afternoon. It was the beginning of new day, a blank page, waiting and begging to be written on by the artist. Too bad that didn't seem to be in the cards today. 

            The drone of an alarm finally alerted the occupant of the room that the day has begun. This was not particularly pleasing to the aforementioned person, and a slender hand slipped out from under the covers and pounded on the snooze button with an ungainly amount of force. Soft noises of discontent were heard coming from underneath the comforter before it was suddenly thrown off to reveal a very disheveled teenage girl. Perhaps that assessment should be corrected, a very disheveled young woman. Her long honey blonde hair was wildly askew, and her face confirmed the fact that she was not too pleased that the world had forced another day upon her.

            Muttering indignities, the young woman had rolled off the bed and was about to walk into the ensuite bathroom when the phone rang. The first thought that crossed her mind was to immediately destroy offending appliance. But reason, however unprepared it was to deal with her temper, took over and she walked over slowly to answer the phone, and hopefully admonish the person about the virtues of rest on the garden's only day of leisure.

            "Hello?" she mumbled into the receiver after placing it at her ear.

            "Quistis, all these years at the Garden, you've been trained to be the perfect SeeD, and you can't even handle waking up early to go shopping?" Xu replied. There was a trace of amusement in her voice. 

            Quistis glanced at her clock and sighed. "Sorry, I know we agreed bright and early, but exam marking is killing me." To prove her point, she raised a hand to massage her temples, despite the fact that there were no witnesses. 

            "Don't worry about it, just get ready quickly, I'll get you something to eat and meet you at your dorm alright?"

            "Thanks Xu, don't worry, I'll be quick"

            The violent thoughts and animosity Quistis had held against the telephone seconds ago had evaporated, and she gently laid the receiver down. Feeling her mood lift a little, she went to the closet to get her peach colored fighting outfit before heading to the bathroom to shower and perform the other morning tasks. 

            A chime broke the silence and she rushed to the door, opening it to find Xu cheerfully smiling back at her. Instead of Quistis asking Xu in, Xu reached in and pulled Quistis out the door. 

            "Wait, I have to get my wallet and my hairclip!" Quistis protested.

            Xu playfully wagged her finger at Quistis; "Nope, today's on me. And hair dries faster when it's down, not to mention looks better. Here's breakfast, now let's get down to the garage before those all the kids take out the working cars." Xu shoved a muffin and a bottle of orange juice into Quistis' arms before practically dragging her through the halls.

            "_Who put the Prozac in her cheerios today_?" Quistis commented to herself while being led towards the garage. However annoying this may be, it was good to see her longtime friend so happy. Xu was usually so reserved, maybe she's finally found a bit of happiness. Quistis outwardly smiled a little, "_Good for Xu! Now hopefully some of that happiness will rub off onto me._"

            The two young women piled into the car, with Xu in the driver's seat and Quistis on the passenger side, still trying to finish her impromptu breakfast. The engine roared to life, and they were soon on their way. Quistis, after dusting off the crumbs from the muffin, was the first to break the silence.

            "So Xu, what's all this about? Why so happy today?" Quistis questioned her friend.

            "Can't I be happy for no reason?" Xu's attention turned from the road to Quistis. Quistis remained unconvinced and her face clearly reflected that. Xu laughed, "_I should have known that nothing would ever get past the mighty Quistis Trepe." _

            "Alright, you caught me, but don't tell anyone." Quistis nodded her head solemnly before Xu continued, "Nida finally asked me out!" Xu gushed. Quistis giggled with Xu. 

            "Well, you'd think after all this time he'd finally pull his head out of the sand and figure out you've had a thing for him since we were cadets." Quistis finally replied.

            "Now now, you can't make fun of my boyfriend like that." Xu playfully admonished. 

            Quistis sighed. "At least you're having some luck in finding a soul mat-" before she could finish, Xu cut her off. "Quistis, we're not soul mates. Love doesn't just suddenly appear after your first date, or the first time you meet someone. People grow to love, it's healthier that way, or else we'd be falling in love left and right. Think of the trail of broken hearts that we two gorgeous ladies would have left if that was true." Xu said seriously, before bursting out into another fit of giggles.

            "You know, at this point, I'm not sure if a man in your life is the wisest choice given how its affected your humor." Quistis darkly commented, before joining her friend in laughter.

            "Well, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. I know you've been kind of down lately, and I know exactly why." Xu turned and winked at Quistis. The latter's response was to blush furiously. Xu was one of Quistis' oldest and closest friends at the garden, and had known about her infatuation with a certain student.

            "I don't know why you're still so hung up on him. Come on, get over that! There's so many more fish in the sea, and it's not like he was the finest one of them all anyways."

            Quistis sighed again and resigned herself to contemplating whether it was really worth the emotional trauma this would undoubtedly lead to. Shrinks of the future may one day regale Squall Leonhart's name, seeing as how all her feelings would probably end up being analyzed and charged by the hour. 

            The garden car slid into a parking spot and Xu's voice broke Quistis out of her reverie. "We're here, wake up!" The blonde instructor immediately snapped to attention and berated herself for daydreaming. 

            The two young SeeDs stepped out of the car and walked towards the shopping district of Balamb. It wasn't very large, given that Balamb was a rather small, sleepy seaside town, but it was friendly and it wasn't the garden. 

            "So what are we shopping for today?" Quistis asked.

            "Well, I think you need a little change of wardrobe. You look far too good to be stuck wearing the same outfit day in and day out. With your hair down, and a little change of clothing, you can quit SeeD and move to Deiling to become an actress." Xu smiled at Quistis. Quistis simply shook her head and continued walking. 

            "My loyalty lies with Garden and SeeD, despite the fact that glamour, glitz and beautiful men are quite an attractive alternative." Quistis rebutted. Xu sighed. Spotting a fashionable clothing store nearby, she dragged her protesting companion inside.

            Several hours later found the two SeeDs sitting on a bench relaxing after visiting every clothing store in the district. Or at least it seemed that way to Quistis. Their trophies, in the form of various items in bags, surrounded them and threatened to engulf the two young women. Quistis stretched and sighed contentedly, which Xu echoed. 

            "You know, I never knew that shopping could be such a spiritual thing." Quistis said solemnly to her friend. 

            "Welcome to my world." Xu replied, her tone implying that the subject was not to be taken lightly. "Anyways, we really have to get moving, we can shove everything into the car and then make it back in time for happy hour at the karaoke bar." Xu moved to get up but was stopped by a loud "WHAT!!!" from her friend.

            "Hyne, Quistis, loud!" Xu winced. "I treated you to a nice day of tranquility without having to fill your mind with 'whatever' boy and this is the only payment I ask for."

            Wincing at the comment, but knowing that Xu would eventually convince her anyways, Quistis meekly followed her companion back to the car to drop off their bags before heading to a trendy looking bar. The two stood at the entrance, Quistis raised one eyebrow at Xu before questioning the sanity of her friend once again.

            "Are you sure?"

            "Oh stop being such a stick in the mud, you've have fun, I promise!" Xu cheerfully replied.

            The ambience of the bar was typical of all karaoke bars, so typical in fact that it may have followed a karaoke bar manual to the last detail, if such a thing existed. The lighting was sparse, and the arrangements of the tables were placed strategically around a small stage, where currently a mildly intoxicated businessman was 'entertaining' the audience with his rendition of 'Mandy'. The two SeeDs sat down at a table in a corner and proceeded to order.

            Xu and Quistis were halfway through their meal before a woman stumbled off the stage and headed to their table. Quistis did not seem to notice, but Xu perked up and grinned in anticipation. The woman stopped, and dropped the microphone in front of the young blonde SeeD. Quistis looked up incredulously, but the woman was already heading back to her table. She turned and looked at Xu, and the message in her eyes clearly indicated that she demanded an explanation.

            "If looks could kill, I'd probably be dead right now, right?" Xu chuckled. "Alright, the deal is, the person on stage, after finishing their song, hands the microphone off to whomever they wish, and they have to go up and sing. So go, or else I'll have to show you some of my trademark combat skills!" This earned a groan from Quistis as she placed her hand to her head. "_Just imagine this isn't happening, just imagine this isn't happening.." her thought processes had tried to resort the soothing mantra when Xu jostled her elbow. _

            "Quickly now, the audience is getting impatient" 

            Quistis looked up at Xu and realized this is another one of those no win situations. She slowly got out of her chair and hesitantly made her way to the stage. Stepping up onto the stage, she looked into the audience. Xu smiled from her seat and gave Quistis a thumbs up. She groaned inwardly, there was no backing out of this mess. Fiddling with the microphone, she looked down at the screen and waited for the music to start.

            The delicate strands of music began, and waiting for her cue, Quistis began to sing.

**You're ruling the way that I move   
and I breathe your air   
you only can rescue me   
this is my prayer**   
  


The patrons of the restaurant stopped their conversations and looked at the beautiful young woman who was singing in an incredibly soulful and musical voice. Quistis noticed and blushed before she continued. 

  
**if you were mine   
if you were mine   
I wouldn't want to go to heave**

**I cherish the day   
I won't go astray   
I won't be afraid   
you won't catch me running   
you're ruling the way that I move   
you take my air   
  
you show me how deep love can be**

The reaction was unanimous; the audience applauded and shouted praise at the lovely blonde singer. She bowed and quickly stepped off the stage and headed towards her seat. Xu was beaming at her friend while she sat down.

"Wow Quistis, we can add singer onto your resume now. Where did you get that song? How long did you decide to hide this amazing talent from the rest of us?" Xu gushed excitedly. She was practically bouncing out of her chair, a decidedly un-Xu-like thing to do. A thought struck Xu and her mood suddenly took a u-turn.

"Quistis Trepe, you're hopelessly stuck on him, aren't you_?"_

The accused nodded sadly, guilty as charged. Before Xu had a chance to once again lecture that other men did exist, one appeared at their table. He was a tall man and introduced himself as the D.J. for a local radio station. He politely complimented Quistis on her amazing voice and asked whether he could broadcast her singing, which had been recorded, on his station. When she imagined that her voice would be broadcast throughout Balamb and Balamb Garden, Quistis immediately blanched.

Instead of waiting for her friend to reply, Xu stepped in and said that Quistis would be delighted, and they negotiated the terms of the recording right there on the spot. Quistis just continued to be mute and looked down at her cold, unfinished meal. She had lost any appetite she may have had left, and now just wanted to crawl into a hole. 

Finally, Xu and the radioman seemed to have struck a suitable deal and he walked off. Quistis glanced up at her friend and wondered why all this was suddenly happening. "_If he listened, would he know?" Xu did not hear Quistis' inner ponderings, and changed the subject back to her singing. _

"Tomorrow morning, when they broadcast new artists, you're going to be on air! Isn't it all so exciting? I've heard of people from this bar who were broadcast but I never realized I'd actually be the friend of possibly the newest thing to hit the music scene!"

"Xu, I just want to crawl into a hole and die right now." Quistis mournfully told her friend. Xu sighed and relented, it was time to return to the garden, before Quistis really got emotional about the events that had just conspired. Xu paid the bill and the two strolled back to the parking lot.

The drive back to the garden was filled with a rather uncomfortable silence. Xu broke the silence this time. "So you never answered my question, where did that song come from?"

"It's by a very famous singer from Deiling, she sings about love and lost love mostly. Last time I was there on a mission, I heard her songs the radio, and I loved them. I never thought that I would be broadcast one day doing a cover of her songs."

"If you never wonder, then you'll never get anywhere. I can't wait to tell everyone!"

The next morning, the sun had once again decided to shine, heralded in once again by the songs of birds. The day had begun, and people woke up, feeling revitalized and began the day with a renewed vigor. 

Rinoa's assigned dorm was quite sparse, it did not have the posters and other knick-knacks that would usually adorn the walls of a typical teenage girl. However, she had only been at garden for several weeks, and spent most of her time in the dorm of the commander of the garden. So there was no real need for ornamentation. One thing that she did have was a radio, and she laid on her bed now, eyes closed, listening to the song that was on. 

"_Hyne, this is so depressing. I hope this woman can find some happiness." Rinoa thought, as her thoughts danced with the melody of the song. As the last line of the song ended, Rinoa sat up, and realized that the singer of the song had a voice that seemed somewhat familiar. Not like a half remembered dream type of familiar, but a tip of the tongue type. The impact of the conclusion stopped her train of thoughts for several minutes._

"_Oh Quistis.. I'm so sorry.."_

AN; I'm sooo sorry for cheating you out of a real ending!! My contacts are killing me and I'm blind ! . Flame/Review as you see fit, lay your worse (or best, hehe) on me, I can take it! By the way, the song is 'Cherish The Day' by the smooth operator herself, Sade. I'm not sure if you've even heard of her, but her music is so beautiful and fitting, love and lost love.


End file.
